Microsoft and computer security vendor RSA Security said Tuesday that they will jointly release a new authentication technology using RSA's SecurID tokens to provide better password protection into Windows operating systems.

RSA Security, known for its SecurID products that authenticate users logging into networks, said that the new offering would make it easier for businesses to protect their networks by providing tighter security at the point at which users enter their computer desktop. "It's definitely going to first appeal to businesses," said Scott Schnell, vice president of marketing at Bedford, Massachusetts-based RSA Security.

Schnell said that corporate information technology departments would no longer have to adopt costly layers of authentication within their networks, such as separate passwords for expensing or Internet access, and could instead rely on a single user authenticated to a Windows program. Windows, which runs on more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers, can be password protected, but up to now has never been integrated with a more stringent authentication system like SecurID.